Raised on ‘70s punk and early-‘90s alt-rock, Mayo (age 16) and Bighorse (20) mine inspiration from artists as disparate as Johnny Cash, The Ramones, NWA, Nirvana, and Bikini Kill and saturate their own songs with a raw energy reminiscent of their musical heroes. Skating Polly takes a minimalist approach to songwriting, with the two largely self-taught musicians (Bighorse plays guitar, Mayo plays a guitar/bass hybrid called a basitar, and both girls play drums and piano) crafting super-catchy melodies mainly by “messing around with our instruments and figuring out how to make cool noises,” according to Bighorse. But despite their stripped-down aesthetic, each track on Lost Wonderfuls retains a rich emotionalism that’s at turns brutally in-your-face, gut-wrenchingly tender, and irresistibly fun.
Along with earning the adoration of Cervenka (whom they befriended after attending one of the X singer’s 2010 solo shows and playing their demos on a cell phone), Skating Polly has found fans in Rosanne Cash and Sean Lennon, taken the stage with punk legends like Mike Watt, and opened up for such indie heavy-hitters as Deerhoof and Band of Horses, L7, Veruca Salt and Babes in Toyland. Tapping Mayo’s dad as their tour manager, the stepsisters typically hit the road with their entire family and optimize their travel time by making up songs on their ukulele, having secret conversations in sign language, and—most recently—studying Mandarin Chinese in hopes of touring in China within the next year.
With aspirations of “bringing back riot grrrl,” both Mayo and Bighorse are intent on ignoring what’s fashionable and staying true to their passion for challenging music with long-lasting appeal. “The musicians we’re most inspired by are the ones who keep on going and going, who devote their entire lives to coming up with new and different stuff,” says Mayo. “A lot of times at our shows people will come up to us and tell us, ‘Keep on doing what you’re doing, don’t ever stop’ and we’re just like, ‘Yeah—we weren’t planning on ever stopping.”
Ugly
Skating Polly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dried up paint free and authentic
I let my hair just soak up grease
I brush it with my fingers, see?
Oohhhh x2
Shae wants to be a pretty girl
Shae wants to be stereo
No not no typical
I said no way Jose
I said no way not me I douse it, burn it, slash it, make it, made in USA
Ugly ugly ugly ugly x2
Shae want to wear a slutty dress
Shae wants to wear tall high heels
Shae wants to cake the makeup on
Shae wants to join the fun
Shae wants to join the fun
Ugly ugly ugly ugly x2
Suzy went to school this morning
Suzy went to class this morning
Suzy was loudly droning
Suzy told the class her story
You can look in the mirror
Might not like what you see
You can try to change it
But you'll always be ugly
And you'll always be nothing
And you'll always be ugly
And you'll always be nothing
And you'll always be be be ugly
Ugly Ugly ugly nothing no nothing
You're ugly ugly nothing no nothing
You're ugly no nothing
Ugly
The lyrics to Skating Polly's song Ugly explore the challenging and often oppressive expectations placed on individuals to conform to traditional beauty standards. The opening lines, "I wear my face just like my skin, Dried up paint free and authentic, I let my hair just soak up grease, I brush it with my fingers, see?" suggest a rejection of the idea that one needs to present oneself in a certain, artificially enhanced way in order to be considered beautiful. These lines are followed by a chorus of "Shae wants to be a pretty girl, Shae wants to be stereo, No not no typical, Shae wants to sparkle" which highlights the pressure to conform to societal expectations. The line "I said no way not me I douse it, burn it, slash it, make it, made in USA" emphasizes the idea that individuals have agency in how they present themselves and can resist societal expectations in their own ways.
The second verse of the song continues to explore this theme with lyrics like "Shae want to wear a slutty dress, Shae wants to wear tall high heels, Shae wants to cake the makeup on, Shae wants to join the fun." These lyrics suggest that there is a perceived fun or enjoyment in conforming to traditional beauty expectations but there are also negative implications of doing so as seen in the repetition of the chorus "ugly ugly ugly ugly" and the repetition of the line "You're ugly ugly nothing no nothing."
Line by Line Meaning
I wear my face just like my skin
I present myself to the world as is, no masks or pretenses, just who I really am
Dried up paint free and authentic
I am not covered in layers of makeup or paint, but rather am true and genuine
I let my hair just soak up grease
Rather than trying to keep my hair perfectly clean, I let it be natural and even embrace some grease
I brush it with my fingers, see?
I don't need fancy brushes or combs to maintain my hair, simple finger brushing is enough
Shae wants to be a pretty girl
Shae feels pressure to conform to society's standards of beauty and femininity
Shae wants to be stereo
Shae wants to fit the mold of what is considered normal or standard for her gender
No not no typical
Shae doesn't want to be just like everyone else or follow the expected path
Shae wants to sparkle
Shae wants to stand out and shine, even if it means going against traditional beauty norms
I said no way Jose
The artist rejects the idea of conforming to beauty standards and societal norms
I said no way not me I douse it, burn it, slash it, make it, made in USA
The artist rejects the societal pressure to conform to traditional beauty standards and instead will embrace their own unique look and identity
Ugly ugly ugly ugly
Repeating the word ugly emphasizes the rejection of traditional beauty standards and the embrace of one's own unique and authentic self
Shae want to wear a slutty dress
Shae feels pressure to dress in a way that is considered sexy or provocative in order to fit in or conform to societal norms
Shae wants to wear tall high heels
Shae feels pressure to wear high heels, despite the discomfort or impracticality, in order to fit in or conform to societal norms
Shae wants to cake the makeup on
Shae feels pressure to wear a lot of makeup, perhaps in order to cover perceived flaws or conform to societal beauty standards
Shae wants to join the fun
Shae feels like in order to have fun or be accepted, she must conform to societal expectations of dress and beauty
Suzy went to school this morning
The artist is shifting to a new story or thought
Suzy went to class this morning
Still describing Suzy's daily routine
Suzy was loudly droning
Suzy wasn't simply speaking, but perhaps was going on and on about something in a monotonous voice
Suzy told the class her story
Suzy was sharing something personal or important with her classmates
You can look in the mirror
The artist is giving advice to the listener or reader
Might not like what you see
The artist acknowledges that looking in the mirror can sometimes bring up negative self-judgments
You can try to change it
The artist suggests that the listener can take action to change their appearance
But you'll always be ugly
The singer suggests that societal beauty standards are unattainable and perhaps harmful
And you'll always be nothing
The artist emphasizes that giving too much weight to appearance can lead to feeling like one's worth is tied up in their looks
You're ugly ugly nothing no nothing
Repeating the negative phrase emphasizes the damaging nature of self-criticism motivated by societal beauty standards
You're ugly no nothing
The singer is rejecting societal expectations around beauty and urging the listener to find self-worth beyond appearance
Ugly
Repeating the word ugly one final time emphasizes the overall message of rejecting societal beauty standards and embracing one's own unique self
Writer(s): PEYTON MCKENNA BIGHORSE, KELLI DREW MAYO
Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alix Carron
Hm, hey kelli and Hey Peyton
I wish you'll seen this message, but if you dont, it's ok, I still love you!
At first: Sorry for my English, I'm a french girl so, it's a bit difficult for me and my english is not pretty nice..
So, I do this message to thank you, your band are (for me) the last nice one, punk is actually dead, and in your eyes I can see a little bit of "punk fire" (it's difficult to translate)
So, thank you, thanks Skating Polly, you're my hereos, and I hope you'll see that.
(I really want you to see it so I will post it in twitter, instagram, fb.. I'm not stalking you, juste try to give you a bit of love aha)
thanks for all you did with your music, and hope it will never ends!
Chris Android
I am 53 and I haven't heard something so powerful and refreshing in a long, long time. You are great girls. Keep up the good work.
Aven Cannon
Good taste in music know's no age
Poopooo Doodie
@Joshua Wilson I met them in 2013, have a signed CD
Joshua Wilson
39 here. They popped in my algorithm a few days ago and i've binged half of their discography. I'm incredibly impressed with not only the music, but EVERY music video. Makes me really miss mtv.
Brian Morrow
You girls bring new life to music Keep the energy up. It's so refreshing And unique Voices . Fantastic!
Chris Android
@lets hug and love I know both bands and love them, I just have a soft spot for young kids doing it so good.
Anton Dillét
Holy shit! There are two very young ladies and they make music, that me, an old 56-years man, shakes through and through - can't describe... My younger daughter is 13, I will show her your video and I hope that she loves and understands you!
Thank you very much!
999manman
I;m 56 and am quite impressed as well. The energy, the lyrics, the odd chord progressions...they floor me.
Derpin Derpana
These ladies are awesome. I just found their music today by accident.
david umada
Theres hope for our generation thank you skating polly